Apple Battery Bulge fire safety hazard

When I returned from vacation I found the battery in my son's MacBook Pro had bulged from a flat wafer into a little hamburger-shaped aluminum sandwich. The battery was hot. Before leaving on vacation I turned off the laptop and unplugged the power cord from the wall outlet. The laptop was on a desk. Had it been located on a flammable surface such as bed sheets I fear the heat from the battery would have caused a fire while we were on vacation. The battery and laptop worked fine before the battery bulge. I called Apple Care today and spoke with Robert Schroeder, Senior AppleCare Advisor. He told me the batteries are designed to expand when they are old. "I sorry" he said, "I would be happy to order a new battery for you." The price is $129. What! Apple almost burns down my house and all Apple Care can do is charge me full price for a new battery!!!!
This will be my last Apple product. No more IPhone, No more IPod, No IPad, No MacBooks. Apple service has been exemplary in the past. But this change in product quality and customer service policy has soured my taste for Apples.

Grant- Thanks for the advice. I visited the Genius Bar and showed the bulged battery to the genius. I am satisfied with the results. Much better service than AppleCare by telephone. The dialog went like this:
Genius Bar Rep - "The battery was designed to bulge. It is a safety feature. Apple has no replacement policy for this."
Me: "This is a safety hazard. There are hundreds of complaints in the blogs on Apple's website and Consumer Reports' website. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of customers received replacement battery at no cost. I would like to be treated the same. Can I show the blogs to you?"
Genius: "I can replace the battery for $99" ..."The bulge is a safety design."
Me: "This is a safety design? I was an Apple Fan, but I am having a hard time "drinking the Kool AId" on this one. The blogs seem to indicate that my best chance at being treated fairly is to visit a Genius Bar and hope that I get a representative with good customer service skills. Before stepping up to the bar, I sat there waiting and watching, hoping that the person I was assigned to would be the right one. Hopefully, you are the one. This is a safety hazard. I came here to have this battery replaced with a safe new battery."
Genius: "Would you like to talk with a manager?"
Me: "Yes"
I sat at the bar for about 5 min, spinning the burger-bun-shaped battery upon the counter while I waited. When the genius returned he held a new battery in his hand. He installed the new battery in my MacBook and shook my hand. No charge.
Postscript - Batteries on all new MacBook Pros are sealed within the "unibody" of the laptop and are not user replaceable. When a battery dies the user must carry or mail the laptop to an Apple certified service center to have the battery replaced. Thus, only Apple will know if the battery simply wore out from use, or is defectively bulging. .

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Late 2008 Unibody MacBook Pro Battery Bulging

Hi,
As of a few months ago, I noticed that my MacBook Pro felt as though no matter which surface it was on, it would never sit there straight. Upon further inspection, I have noticed that the casing which covers both the battery and hard drive is being pushed out of its ordinary position.
Taking the battery out reveals that it is beginning to swell and bulge which is causing this problem. While it isn't an enormous bulge like some I've seen on the Internet, I still consider it a safety issue and would rather not continue using it in the event it continues to develop and potentially explode.
I called Apple support today to ask them what I can do about getting it replaced. Given that I bought this machine when it first came out in late 2008 without any additional warranty, I am a few months out of warranty.
After being diverted to three different people from various departments and being put on hold for at least 45 minutes, a customer relations woman told me that Apple could not cover it. As a gesture of good will, she offered a discount coupon for my next purchase from Apple. I'm yet to receive such a coupon, but that isn't the point of this post.
I want to know if there's anything I could possibly do for Apple to replace this battery - I know it's a long shot, but I'm currently a student and I don't really have $199 lying around to replace a battery which shouldn't be preparing to explode on me.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I'm copying my message from another thread, since this one is more "specialized".
Thanks for understanding.
Not so good news here (Croatia).
I own a late 2008 MBP unibody. Bought in December 2008, so now 5 months out of warranty.
I had the same battery bulge issue as described earlier, along with the trackpad not working problem (when I remove the battery, the trackpad works normally).
A few days ago I contacted the Apple authorised reseller and distributor for Croatia, and got the answer which can be roughly described as "Buy yourself a new battery, we can't do anything".
I was persistent and the person in the Croatian Apple Service department, after having an online chat with "someone from Apple", gave me the "case number" and said I could try contacting Apple directly (although they ARE Apple's distributor/reseller) - but still, they can't and won't do anything about replacing the battery free of charge.
Of course, I mentioned the safety issue, and I was really polite and calm - but still nothing.
Thanks to this thread, I called the Apple UK's Customer Service.
I spoke to 3 different persons there (they had a completely different approach than the Croatian ones, congrats!), tried to reach the Customer Service directly, and finally spoke to someone. But, the answer was still - we can't help you. I got the new case number, but still - nothing, no offer for the replacement battery or anything similar.
Yes, I will pay for that 1.5 hour long conversation.
When I finally asked: does this mean that Apple oficially claims that bulging "good, healthy" batteries is a normal thing to happen, I got no response.
My battery's health is GOOD, it has around 33 (yes, 33!) cycles since the machine was mostly used at home with external Cinema display/keyboard/mouse attached. When I try to put the battery back in, the trackpad is pressed from beneath so it's unusable; and I even can't close the back lid since the battery is deformed.
Yes, every time, I did mention the fact that I am a loyal Apple customer since 1992, and I own exclusively Apple computers, currently in posession of 9 Macs and 3 iPhones and responsible for many people "switching" to Apple (friends, colleagues etc). This is the FIRST time I have ever had any technical issue with an Apple product and I am really disappointed now.
The only useful information I got was from the last person over the phone in UK, and that is - that I should write a letter (not an email) to the Customer Relations - Apple Operations Europe, located in Hollyhill, Cork (Republic of Ireland).
Finally, I contacted the Service Manager from Apple Croatia, who was extremely unconcerned about the whole thing and said "You can call the newspapers, you can call whoever you want, we won't do anything until Apple says we should replace it".
So, NO battery replacement exception code.
At least not until I write that letter to Ireland.
P.S. I did, as asked from the UK's Customer Support, e-mail the System Profiler info, clear photos of the swelling battery, and iStat screenshot showing the battery's status/health. It didn't help to resolve this issue.

Found my Battery bulging

Found my Battery bulging & swollen

DONT DARE USE IT, period.
Contact Apple for appt. ASAP for replacing the battery and diagnostics.
You have lithium pack cell swelling
Any impulse on your part to use it even for a min. is a mistake.

New Apple battery for macbook only lasting half as long as my old battery.

I'm having a bit of trouble here. Last month a family member needed to leave on an emergency trip but was having battery problems and didn't have time to get a new battery before catching her flight, so I gave her mine and a day or two later went to the apple store and bought a new OEM apple battery for myself. I believe that the old battery had around 80-90% left in its life and performance from the way it would act. Unfortunately this new battery would not interface with the computer at first. I followed the apple page battery troubleshooting recommendations and ended up resetting my power service manager (sorry if I'm butchering the name here) by removing the power sources and holding the power button for 5 seconds. It fixed the interface problems and the computer now recognizes the battery just fine. However, the battery life on this new battery is pretty poor. I only get about 60 minutes of youtube video watching out of it before its done (no other applications running), or about 100 minutes of general non-streaming use. My old battery was at least double this, if not more. Does anyone have any ideas where I should look next? Here is some battery information that might help:
Model Information:
Manufacturer: DP
Device name: ASMB016
Pack Lot Code: 0002
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0110
Hardware Revision: 0500
Cell Revision: 0200
Charge Information:
Charge remaining (mAh): 626
Fully charged: No
Charging: No
Full charge capacity (mAh): 4935
Health Information:
Cycle count: 9
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA): -1437
Voltage (mV): 10860
Many thanks if anyone has an idea what I should do to help fix this. My Macbook has been great other than this one issue.

Have you tried calibrating your battery?

Got this prompt message via Instagram, "Apple Battery Update". Warning about my battery problem. What is it about? Is it a scam?

Using Instagram via Iphone5 this morning. I got this prompt message "Apple Battery Update". It said my battery had a problem and encourage me to install program to update my battery. What is it about? Is it a scam?

Sounds like a scam to me Read http://www.gadailynews.com/news/savannah/157866-latest-phishing-scam-targets-app le-customers.html
Message was edited by: Ocean20

Non-apple battery?

I have a mid 2007 white 13" Macbook and need to replace its battery (it shows "service battery" in the menu).
The original battery by Apple is hard to find (I am not in US).
My (newbie) question is: is it OK to use a non-apple battery? Any specific brands that are recommended?
Thanks.

Apple doesn’t make any batteries. They buy them from the same manufacturers that the third party sellers are buying from. The only difference is that Apple has their logo imprinted on the battery.

HT201842 NEW Genuine Apple Battery Charging Slowly

I am the original owner of a MacBook Pro (Late 2008) running 10.8.5 beautifully:) and nursing the original battery with a charge count of 600+). Woohoo, I made it this far-- Nice! I finally purchased a presumed Genuine Apple Battery (Serial W000800546G1A) in it's original unopened packaging. After properly switching out the batteries and starting the MBP, I immediately verified the power in the System Report (About this Mac). Nervously, I awaited over 10 minutes with 0% indicated. Finally-- 1% appeared and a 1/2 hour later 20% (NO LEDs displayed).
I am no power expert, but I am thinking that a slow charge is a good charge. Can someone confirm this?

No, and I am aware of that activity. Purchased 3rd party from a good seller, the battery was clipped to a well designed and fitted plastic guard inside a clear plastic wrap with an adhesive seal inside a black slide box that looks authentic and consistent with Apple quality packaging. All markings indicate genuine, but I've not seen a fake one to compare. Can the serial number be verified, or would running Apple Diagnostics "Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test" reveal authenticity? Using Apple Diagnostics - Apple Support Regardless, I am becoming more comfortable with the performance of this battery:)
60% @ 90 minutes charge time

MacBook Pro Battery bulging after 10.6.8 upgrade

I have a MacBook Pro Core Duo 17-inch: 2.16GHz (MA092LL/A), purchased in May 2006. It has been a superb performer. I ran Tiger (10.4.11) on the machine until recently, when I upgraded to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). I usually run the machine on the power supply, but the battery has never had any problems. I had the full 3-year AppleCare warranty on the machine, but obviously that has expired.
Today I noticed that the battery (A1189) was bulging. I hadn't used the machine for several days. I've probably used it for a total of 4 hours since I installed 10.6.8...and all of that usage was with the power supply connected.
I removed the battery and inspected it. The cover plate (with the battery check switch and LEDs) was separating from the body, obviously being pushed up by expanding innards. All 5 LEDs lit up when I pressed the battery check switch, so I replaced the battery and booted the machine (power supply attached). The battery indicator in the menu bar showed that the battery had 100% charge. I usually run the machine with an external Apple keyboard and mouse. Within a few minutes I was unable to use the mouse. The pressure from the expanding battery was locking the trackpad button and disabling all mouse click functions.
I released the battery locks; it wasn't easy due to the pressure caused by the bulging battery. That relieved the pressure on the trackpad, after which the mouse (and trackpad button) worked normally.
Unfortunately, I can't check the battery info in System Profiler; installing the battery locks the trackpad button and disables all mouse functions. However, my usage of the machine has been light, and I've mostly run it with the power supply attached. I have deliberately run the battery down to zero to calibrate it a few times per Apple's instructions, but since the vast majority of my usage has been on the power supply, battery performance has never been an issue. In the few dozen times when I've run the machine on battery power, it worked fine. I would estimate that the battery has used significantly less than half of its available charge cycles. It's obviously still holding a charge.
I've seen a number of posts here in Apple Discussions implying that Snow Leopard 10.6.8 might be causing some problems with MacBook Pro batteries. All my software is up to date. I understand that batteries don't last forever, but the fact that the battery is self-destructing within a few usage hours after I upgraded to 10.6.8 causes me to suspect that this isn't just a battery problem. I don't want to replace the battery and have it self-destruct again if there's a system power management problem.
Can anyone provide any suggestions or information on this issue?
Thanks!

stevekn:
After the same thing happened to me, I spent a great deal of time researching this issue. When I wrote the original post in this thread, I was asking whether there was a causal link between my upgrade to OS X 10.6.8 and the bulging battery problem. From the standpoint of the system itself and its ability to manage the battery functions, I'm now convinced that no such problem exists. Similarly, I'm convinced that there is no intrinsic defect in the battery itself...well, except to the extent that I'm about to describe.
All batteries have physical limitations. Among them, operating temperature is perhaps one of the most critical. It's no secret that what used to be called "laptops" are now called "notebook computers" because they get so hot during usage that you can't hold them on your lap—especially when the CPU is working hard for extended time periods. Applied to the MacBook Pro, that means one of the most stressful usage modes for its battery is the condition wherein the machine runs hot for a long time.
My MacBook Pro experienced exactly that condition during my recent system upgrade, in which I had to install Leopard as an intermediate step in order to be able to install Snow Leopard. I suspect that it was the Leopard install that dealt the death blow to the battery. It required lots of CPU usage for a long time, and the battery got very hot in the process. (Of course, it was running on the power supply at the time—which is advisable for a system upgrade.)
During the Leopard install, I checked the machine. That's when I discovered how hot the the machine had become. I had never observed the MacBook Pro getting that hot during any previous usage. I put a couple of heat sinks under it and elevated the machine, but I now believe that by then it was too late.
It's my opinion that the battery simply couldn't tolerate that kind of heat. Shortly thereafter, the two center cells started growing, with the resultant trackpad symptom revealing the problem...and by now you probably know what happens after that. The bulging indicates internal damage to the cells, in which the chemical compounds interact in such a way that causes the cells to expand.
In the case of my battery, I had set it aside and then had forgotten about it while I researched a replacement battery. When I found the damaged battery several weeks later, it no longer looked like the battery in your photos, with some separation of the battery case and cover. I discovered that the damaged cells had continued to expand slowly in the interim, eventually forcing the battery case completely apart. I suspect that if you observe your damaged battery over time, you'll find that the damaged cells continue to expand in the same way.
That's typical behavior for damaged cells, so in that sense, it's "normal". Whether it's "normal" for the cells to become damaged in the first place is more difficult to say, but I suppose that it depends on the kind of usage the battery gets. In my case, I ran the machine with the power supply attached most of the time, I never made it work very hard, and I even used a small cooling fan when I ran the machine outdoors in hot weather. I suspect that's why I got over 5 years of use out of the battery.
But nothing lasts forever, and that aging battery was seriously stressed by the Leopard installation. I'm now convinced that it was its undoing. If there's a lesson to take away from this, it's probably that heat kills batteries. Eventually, the battery will die a peaceful death by exhausting its own ability to hold a charge, but until then you can reduce the chance that it will die violently in the battle of the bulge by keeping it as cool as possible

On the 3rd day, my battery became FIRE HOT and LOST CHARGE QUICKLY

First, I LOVE my iPhone 4, it's amazing, but I did want to at least share what happened to me this week. My iPhone 4 battery started going from 100% charge to 40% in 90-minutes - It was only in standby mode. The phone became VERY HOT, especially around the steel edges. I called Apple Care and they said "Do not use the phone because it could be hazardous" and advised I go to an Apple store. I did, and they exchanged it after verifying it wasn't safe. Apple has the best customer care on Earth. While I was there, someone else was there exchanging their phone for the same reason - They have a secret stash in the back packaged in unmarked small black boxes, just for this reason. Anyway, the phone rep at Apple confirmed to me that there is a battery issue with the new phones. They guy at the Apple store who helped me said he has seen few issues for signal or the yellow screen, but a lot of hot batteries that do not hold a charge.

That's really interesting, my iPhones battery is horrendous, I've just finished reassuring it, powering it back up to see whether I can improve the situation (looses 26% charge in standby at night when I slept for 7 hours. My first comment to my friend was, the iPhone 4 was amazing, but was very warm. Will be interesting to see if my problems over with this reset, or if I too have a battery problem. Thanks for sharing.

Iphone 5 battery bulge

What to do when iPhone 5 that was bought just one year ago in US has bulging battery? (I tried to get support/warranty but was informed by apple website that my warranty period is over)
Please advise

How does something like a bulging battery become our liability??? Isn't that a defect on Apple's part?? I just returned from the Apple store, at Kahala Mall, here in Hawaii. My screen is bulging, separating from the rest of my phone. So i decided to take the phone in to have it looked at. After "running diagnostics" on my phone, which has NO OTHER PROBLEM other than the bulging screen, I was informed that the battery is bulging and that it would be $260 to repair. Why??? If I had caused the battery to bulge, I could understand. But this is a manufacturing problem. My only misstep was purchasing an IPhone. I've owned an IPhone since they came out, but this will be THE LAST IPHONE THAT I OWN!!!!

Battery bulging again

I have a MacBook Pro 2,1 that experienced a bulgin battery even though it was outside the supposed serial number range. This was replaced by Apple in 2009. However, this nex battery which I have had now for 18 months began not holding charge lasting only about 30-40 minutes and the power meter told me to service battery. I took it to the genius bar and they confirmed I needed a new battery but I didn't buy one at the time. now two weeks since then I have noticed this battery is bulging too, though not as badly as the first and the casing has split open. Would this be replaced as the first was? Should it?

I had a similar experience today at Apple. The Genius asked me a few questions while he ensured my 2006 MacBook Pro wasn't damaged due to the defective battery that was under 300 cycles and replaced it at no charge. The defective battery was a replacement battery I purchased last year to replace the original that lost charge. While working on the MacBook recently I heard a hiss then pop sound and noticed the outer battery casing bulging. I use this MacBook both for pleasure and work. The Genius decision to replace the battery with a new one made my day and reaffirm why I recommend Apple over Microsoft to family, friends and colleagues. It also reaffirm my decision to upgrade to the MacBook Pro when the next model is released sometime this year. Thank you Apple

MacBook Battery Bulging

I have a MacBook from late 2006 and I noticed the battery is starting to bulge out. Should I be concerned about it? My warranty expired quite a long time ago, so I imagine I'm going to have to pay for a replacement battery if I need to.

I called Apple today and they said it's probably a defective battery, but because my warranty expired they wouldn't send me a new one for free. They also said that there was no recall for my specific model of MacBook. Guess I've got to go buy a new battery.

Late 2008 15" MBP battery bulging

The battery on my unibody Late 2008 15" MBP is bulging and stretching the case. The battery won't sit flat on a table. I'm not that close to an Apple Store... what do people think my results would be if I took it in? My AppleCare has expired; does Apple usually replace bulging batteries even out of warranty? Or will I have to buy a new one?

I know this is an old thread, but I thought people would like to know about an interesting Genius Bar visit. So I decided to make a genius appointment for my late 2008 unibody Pro's bulging battery, just to see if I could possibly get a discounted replacement. The genius at first told me that he'd offer me a new replacement for $99, since the battery is out of warranty, and bulging was a normal trait of lithium batteries. That was fine with me, since a new battery off the shelf is around $140. He then scanned my Pro and informed me that there was a service bulletin on the battery, it was replaced for free. So I recommend users with removable battery unibody Pros make a Genius Bar appointment.

IPod passes Apple battery test but only lasts 2hrs during normal use

I have a 1st generation iPod mini; the battery has been acting up lately. I have done Apple's battery test a few times; each time the battery lasts for 6-8 hrs. However, during normal use, it lasts only 1.5-2hrs, even after a full charge.
I have this problem even when the backlight and the EQ is off. Also, the battery dies, even though the battery meter is half full. If I immediatly turn on the iPod, the meter is empty, but after 20 min, it's half full again. When I try to play music, it turns off.
On top of this, the battery takes a minmum of 8hrs to fully charge!
Please help...!

My ipod mini 2nd generation was like this too.. it would reset itself resetting the time also for no reason every 20mins.. and it wouldnt hold a charge.. i sent it in thursday and i should get it back this week.. if your ipod is in warranty.. send it back asap!

Where can I buy original apple battery for 13" Mid 2010 MBP?

My battery life has decreased dramatically and I need a replacement battery. I don't want to go to an appe authorized service center to fix this problem. It's a relatively simple and cheap fix and apple authorised service center will ask for a lot of money.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
A battery replacement at an Apple Store or reseller costs $129 + labour, which is quite similar to the cost of buying a battery in the Internet.
Anyway, you can buy the battery in the Internet. There are different websites, but I recommend you to buy it at iFixit > http://www.ifixit.com/MacBook-Parts/MacBook-Pro-13-Inch-Unibody-Battery/IF163-01 9

Apple Battery Bulge fire safety hazard

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